Ember wrote:"Okay guys we're back" Ember called out. By the time she and Beth reached the spot where they last saw their friends, Caterina and Andromeda had already left. "Guys? Andromeda? Caterina?"

BethTheBunny wrote:“Where are they?” Beth wondered aloud. She glanced down and spotted something written in the dirt. “Well it looks like they’ll be back soon,” she said, pointing at the words “Back soon”.

Ember wrote:"How can you tell?" Ember asks, looking at the strange markings Beth was pointing at.

BethTheBunny wrote:“One of them wrote a message into the dirt.” Beth pointed at the words in the dirt. “These markings are called letters. Each one stands for a sound. When you put the sounds together they make words,” she explained. “When you read these markings they make the words ‘Back soon’.” Beth grinned. “I think I’m starting to get the hang of explaining these things,” she mused to herself.

Ember wrote:"Really? That's so cool!" Ember looked at the markings with new interest and then at Beth. "You have to teach me how to read. Or I'll get Andromeda or Caterina to." She looked down. "Listen, are my questions annoying you? I don't mean to be a nuisance, but I was just never introduced to these things you seem to think everyone should know." She looked up. "Most of my life was spent living among wolves. Which was fine, but they never taught me much else other then hunting and surviving. They never even allowed me to fly."

BethTheBunny wrote:“Of course I can teach you, or at least I can try.” Beth thought for a couple seconds. “I don’t think your questions are too much of a bother. I mean, it’s not your fault that you weren’t taught about this stu- What a minute! They didn’t let you fly?” Beth stared at Ember in shock. “What’s the point of having wings if you can’t fly? That’s like saying I can’t jump even though I’m a bunny!”

Ember wrote:Ember shrugged. "I don't know, maybe they knew what I was, and what I was capable of doing, and were afraid of me turning on them. If they did they never told me." She gave a half-hearted chuckle. "I remember the first and last time I had tried to fly. I had crashed badly, spraining my left wing. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I got reprimanded. I was slightly smaller than them then, so it was easier for them to nip at me." She shuddered at the memory, remembering the fury in her step-father's eyes at her disobedience and the throbbing pain in her wing. "I never tried to after that."

Spoiler:

The real reason was they were trying to protect her. To keep her a secret from those who meant to harm her.

BethTheBunny wrote:Beth lightly patted Ember on the back. “Well they aren’t here to stop you now. If only one of us could teach you how to fly. Unfortunately, you’re the only one who has wings.” Beth sighed and sat on a nearby tree root.

Ember wrote:Ember perked up. "You're right." She smiled and her tail started to wag happily, a habit she picked up from the wolves. "I mean, sure no one can teach me, but no one can stop me either. I think that if I really try, instinct will kick in and I'll be airborne in no time!" Ember was brimming with excitement. She started to stretch her wings to their full extent, something she rarely did. She couldn't quite stretch them all the way, there wasn't enough space, so she ended up refolding them. "I'll have to try later when we're in an open area."

BethTheBunny wrote:Beth grinned at her dragon friend. “That might be a good idea. We wouldn’t want you to knock over all the trees.” She swung her legs. “When do you think Caterina and Andromeda will be back?”

"I don't know." Ember examined the ground, sniffing. "We could try following them. I have very good tracking skills. Do you think we should follow them or just wait?"

“I think we should just stay here. What if they came back and we weren’t here?” Beth hopped off the root she had been sitting on and grabbed a stick. “While we wait I can start teaching you how to read,” she said as she started to write the letters of the alphabet in the dirt.